Stacking boxes



Dec. 27, 1955 AYRE ET AL 2,728,544

STACKING BOXES Filed July 28, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 32 INVENTORS JAMES H. ,4 r25 AL AZ V/N J. FAeEAE Arr RIV Y STACKING BOXES James H. Ayre, East Cleveland, and Alvin J. Farrar,

Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to Republic Steel Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application July 28, 1950, Serial No. 176,260

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-120) The present invention relates generally to material handling apparatus and is more particularly concerned with a fabricated, metal stacking box of novel construction and special advantages and utility.

The devices employed in factories, foundries, steel plants and similar places to support metal articles in 1 storage or transport them about typically take the form of shallow channel-shaped metal bodies, the edges of the channel flanges being disposed for contact with the ground or floor so that lift truck forks or the like can be readily introduced between the webs of the bodies and the floor. There is, however, a relatively small limit to the loads that these devices can carry so long as they are not provided wtih side and end load-retaining means defining box-sections as disclosed and claimed in copending application, Serial No. 169,410, filed June 21, 1950,- by Alvin Farrar. Accordingly, these devices require a large amount of fioor space and storage considering their load capacities. To overcome this deficiency, others have made efforts heretofore to develop a device of this kind which would enable stacking of one on another in a plurality of tiers. The results of these efforts, however, to the best of our knowledge, have not been particularly satisfactory, leaving something to be desired from the standpoint of safety and stability of the resulting stacks, especially when substantial loads are borne by the devices in the upper portions of the stacks.

These difiiculties of the prior art devices are eliminated and substantial additional advantages are obtained for the first time to our knowledge, through the present invention. For one thing, the stacking operations with devices of this invention can be carried out more easily, quickly and safely than previously, the resulting stacks being stable to height as great as desired and permissible within normal stacking room limitations. Additionally, the devices of this invention may conveniently be made in an economical manner so that their cost will compare favorably with the costs of the prior art devices presently in commercial use, the present devices being readily adaptable to mass production operations. As still another advantage of our invention, the devices thereof may be made up of subassemblies so that the assembled devices may be disassembled or knocked down when they are not in use, thereby conserving storage space. Moreover, all the foregoing advantages and still other advantages may be realized and obtained through this invention without in any respect sacrificing or reducing the advantages claimed for the prior art devices.

With regard to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a partially assembled device embodying this invention in a preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, perspective view of two devices of the Fig. l-type in stacked relation;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of device embodying this invention in another preferred form;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, end elevational view of the assembly of Fig. 2 showing how the upper device is en- States atent gaged with and supported by the lower one and the details of an end portion of the brace member;

Fig. 5 comprises a top plan view and an end elevational view of a forming gusset of the Fig. 1 device;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but of a pair of devices of the Fig. 3-type disposed in stacked relation; and,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken on line 77 of Fig. 1.

Generally, the apparatus of the present invention comprises a base having edge portions for engagement with the floor, four spaced legs supported by and extending upwardly from the base, and a pair of spaced channels supportingly associated with the upper end portions of the legs and disposed to receive edge portions of the base of a similar stacking box.

With reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the illustrated device comprises more particularly a relatively shallow but long and broad channel-shaped base 10 of corrugated light metal plate construction, the sides or flanges 11 of the base being normally directed downwardly and having edge portions for engagement with the floor or the ground. The depth of the channel is preferably only sufficient to permit the introduction of lift truck forks or the like into the space between web 12 of the base and the ground on which the base rests. At each of its four corners the base is provided with an upstanding relatively short, hollow stake 14 generally triangular in cross-section. Each of these stakes comprises an angle iron 16 and an L-shaped plate 17 cooperating with iron 16 to define a triangular recess (Fig. 7), said iron and the plate being welded together along their opposed edge portions and said plate being welded to the top of base 10, while the lower portion of angle iron 16 is welded to side 11. Stakes 14 are of substantially uniform length and their upper ends are disposed substantially in a common plane paralleling the upper surface of web 12.

Four legs 24 disposed in assembly substantially parallel to each other and at right angles to web 12 are secured together in pairs near their lower ends by two stationary braces 26 welded to the legs. The lower ends of these legs are formed to be received in the triangular recesses of stakes 14 and are thus supported in the upright position indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. Just below the points where the stationary braces engage legs 24, a pair of lugs 38 are welded to the outer two sides of the legs for engagement with the upper edge portions of stakes 14 to position the legs vertically with respect to base 10 as shown in Fig. 7. Near their upper ends these legs are bent inwardly to compensate for the offsetting of the legs due to the location of the stakes outside flanges 11. The resulting displacement inwardly with respect to the base of a pair of channel-shaped bars carried by legs 24 is sufficient to dispose bars 20 to receive the edge portions of a base 10 of another similar device.

The sides of bars 20 are flared outwardly to facilitate stacking as described above and these bars are disposed above and in substantially parallel relation to each other and to web 12 so that another base 10 engaged with and supported by bars 20, as best illustrated in Fig. 4, is in its normal, stable, load-carrying position with respect to the floor. Bars 20 are suitably secured to the upper ends of legs 24 by means of welds and four gusset plates 30 which are disposed at the upper end of each leg 24, being welded to the inner side of the leg and to the adjacent end portion of bar 20. These gusset plates have upstanding portions 32 formed to face outwardly adjacent to the ends of bars 20 and apertures are provided in these portions to receive dovetail tenons or headed pins 33.

Two cross-brace members 35 are hung at one end on tenons 33 for swinging motion in an are describing parallel planes at substantially right angles to bars'20. Cross braces 35 are notched at their free ends to receive tenons 33 and are of such length as to span the space between opposed ends of bars 20 and lock these bars and their supporting elements rigidly together.

With reference to Figs. 3 and 6, the device therein illustrated comprises a channel-shaped, corrugated, metal plate base 40 of relatively broad and long web 41 and short side or flange portions 42 so that the device may be readily picked up by means of lift truck tongs or the like. The bottom edge portions of flanges 42 are received in angle irons 44 which are welded to the flanges to increase the strength and stability of the device.

Four rigid angle irons comprising leg elements 45 are secured by welds to the corner portions of base 40 and extend upwardly therefrom to a uniform height above web 41. The corner portions of base 40 are received in and engaged with the lower portions of legs 45 and by virtue of the tapered form of the webs of the legs in these portions substantial rigidity and strength is produced in the structure through the unusually long and heavy welded joints shown at 47.

At their upper ends, legs 45 are welded to the outer sides of webs of channel-shaped rails 50 the sides of which, are flared outwardly, like those of bars 20, for receipt of the lower edges of flanges 44 of a similar device. Rails 50 are disposed substantially parallel to each other and their webs are in a substantially common plane paralleling the upper surface of web 41 so that the device or devices stacked thereon and supported thereby will be substantially level and capable of supporting maximum loads with minimum stability.

Having thus described the present invention so that those skilled in the art will be able to gain a better understanding and practice the same, we state that what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

A fabricated metal stacking box comprising a channelshaped, substantially rectangular base having a web and longitudinally depending side edge portions to engage the floor and support the web in spaced relation to the floor, four legs secured to the base near the corners and extending upwardly therefrom, two channel-shaped bars disposed parallel to the edge portions and to each other and secured to and joining the upper ends of said legs in pairs, each of said bars having a web portion disposed directly above and in longitudinal alignment with a floorengaging edge portion of the base for supporting engagement with an edge portion of another stacking box of the same base dimensions and shape, and each said bar having flanges flaring outwardly and upwardly from the Web to guide an edge portion of another stacking box into engagement with said bar web portion and to retain the boxes in stacked relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 563,264 Dillman July 7, 1896 1,522,707 Andrews Jan. 13, 1925 2,046,095 Shaw June 30, 1936 2,522,096 Cooke Sept. 12, 1950 2,579,685 Loose Dec. 25, 1951 2,621,879 Lundeen Dec. 16, 1952 OTHER REFERENCES The Powell Pressed Steel Co., Bulletin No. 600.

Palmer: Shile Co. Materials Handling Equipment. (Received Feb. 26, 1948.)

Factory Service Co. Turner System of Materials Handling. (Received Feb. 26, 1948.) 

